You are simply you. You are the soul that observes what both your brain and your mind is doing at the present moment. You are the soul that goes by with your name. The feelings that you are feeling right now are not you. Just like the thoughts you are having—they’re inherently empty for they are not you and they’re not happening to you. They’re just simply happening like how a wave is dancing with the whole ocean itself.

Here’s the truth: Having this sickness in your brain was never your choice to begin with. It was never your fault. It’s just a part of you. And it does hurt on a daily basis. And you’re a marvelous badass for fighting it even if it terrifies you.

Remembering that you are not your mental illness is part of the daily battle. Remembering that you are enough is your ultimate weapon. Remembering that you are simply you—your soul is the inevitable victory. As mental illness is similar to having a scar and you don’t say that I am that scar, you say that I am going to live with that scar.

Don’t let your mental illness convince you that it’s not going to get better. Don’t let your mental illness convince you that you’re never going to be functional like before and that life is hopeless. You are loved. You are wanted. And you are beautiful beyond words can ever explain. Don’t let your brain persuade you into thinking that you aren’t.

You are so much more than what’s going on in your head. You have genius in your soul. Talents beyond talents. Gifts beyond gifts. You are capable of doing amazingly extraordinary things with your amazingly extraordinary soul. Your life is not a diagnosis. Your life is living despite symptoms.

You are going to have glorious days when you’re really happy to the point where anything feels possible. Like your mental illness is non-existent and you feel extremely alive like you belong in this planet. And all you do with your positive energy is to pour it into your soul and make something long-lasting like creating a poem, a song or a painting of the sun and the birds that will give you hope on days when you’ll feel sad. Days when you’ll feel like nothing you do feels right and everything you do drowns you. And those days will be hell but just like Winston Churchill said: If you’re going through hell, keep going.

You are not your mental illness. You are your soul, and your soul is a fighter, an artist, a friend, a brother or a sister and a child of both love and light.

Mental illness is not a choice but always remember that recovery is a choice. So stay alive and know that you have a purpose. As long as you’re alive, you have a purpose.

Creativity can strike at any moment — make sure you’re prepared for it.

To help you do that, we created a functional backpack with the everyday artist in mind. Whether you’re going to school, embarking on a new adventure, or simply just exploring the world around you, take your passion with you.

We hope that this backpack becomes a home for the stories you love, the stories you’ve told and the stories you’ve yet to tell.